How to make flower essences? It’s really easy.
All you need are some non-toxic flowering plants, sunlight and a small glass bowl filled with spring water.
The original flower essences were created by Dr. Edward Bach, MD.
He was a medical doctor, as well as a famous homeopath.
Dr. Bach discovered flower essences, a new form of healing.
These gentle homeopathic-like remedies first became known in England.
Now they’re becoming very popular in other parts of the world, including India, Australia and the United States.
Bach flower remedies are widely available online and in health food stores.
Dr. Bach used flowering plants that grow in Great Britain.
But other non-toxic flowers can be used as well.
Including flowers that grow in your own backyard.
However, there is a downside to making your own essences, if you live outside the UK.
Keep reading and I’ll explain what it is.
You won’t be able to use the same flowers as Dr. Bach.
Many flowers that grow in other parts of the world will be of a different species.
They take root in different soil.
So we don’t know their properties or how they affect us.
Bach essences work on an emotional level.
But there’s undoubtedly a physical component, as you can’t separate the body from the spirit.
Dr. Bach believed that if you could heal the mind, physical health would follow.
His 38 flower essences targeted specific emotions.
Volumes have been written on Bach flower remedies.
People from all over the world still study Bach flowers.
Some people have taken advanced practitioner courses.
You could actually spend a lifetime learning about Bach flowers.
However, if you make your own essences from different flowers you don’t have this body of knowledge.
Different families of flower essences have been created, from flowers all over the world.
You can buy Australian Bush Flower Essences, Alaskan Essences and North American Flower Essences, to name a few.
There seems to be a fair amount of information on the Australian Bush flowers, including a book written by Ian White.
So if you make your own essences you lose out on a lot of information.
How To Make Flower Essences
(This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase anything, I receive a referral fee, at no extra cost to you.)
I’m going to show you how easy it is to make flower essences, from flowers you may find in your neighborhood.
But, first, more history on flower remedies.
There are 38 original Bach flower essences.
Plus a five-flower blend known as Rescue Remedy.
Flower essences are considered gentle.
Unlike homeopathic remedies, many of which use highly diluted poisons, the original substance is a non-toxic flowering plant.
That’s one reason it’s thought flower essences don’t have the same potential to cause “aggravations.”
At least compared to regular homeopathic remedies.
What is an aggravation? It’s a temporary increase in symptoms.
Aggravations are usually harmless.
But they can be uncomfortable.
Do Flower Essences Cause Aggravations?
However, I want to help clear up a common misconception.
Like all energy medicines, flower essences must be used properly.
This means no more doses than needed.
Some will argue that flower essences can’t cause aggravations,
I disagree.
I’ve personally experienced agitation from taking too much Rescue Remedy.
However, I will say that I’m pretty sensitive to homeopathic remedies in general.
I need fewer doses than the average person, and I usually can’t take the same remedy for more than two or three consecutive doses.
The same seems to be true for flower essences, at least for me.
But everyone is different.
All I can say is listen to your body.
Then take only as much of a remedy as you need.
Stop when you’re feeling better.
Flower Essence Aggravations
My last homeopath (who sadly has passed away) gave me some of the best advice I’ve ever heard.
She said one dose and wait. See what happens. Don’t take another dose unless you feel it’s needed. (For me, this would be a return of the symptoms I was trying to get rid of.)
So if one dose of flower essence did the job, there’s no need to take another.
Incidentally, my amazingly talented homeopath also believed flower remedies can cause aggravations.
She and her students also conducted a proving on Rescue Remedy but passed away before it could be published.
But she assured me that taking too much Rescue Remedy can cause “nasty” reactions.
As long as you use them judiciously flower essences are a lot of fun.
How To Make Flower Essence Water
Over the years, I’ve bought a number of flower essences.
For instance, I never want to be without Bach Flower Rescue Remedy.
This is an amazing blend of five flower remedies, designed to relieve acute stress, such as the kind that happens when you receive terrible news.
I also use it for occasional sleeplessness or if I have a homeopathic aggravation.
(Rescue Remedy helps stop the aggravation.)
How To Make Rose Essence
Consider how easy it is to make flower essences, there’s no reason why anyone can’t use local flowering plants.
Lilacs are one possibility.
But you can also make flower essences from dandelions, bluets (these little whitish/light blue flowers grow wild on our property), violets or roses, as long as they’re not sprayed with toxic chemicals
But, anyway, lilac essences is what I made, and I’ll tell you how I did it.
How To Make Lilac Flower Essence
Depending upon where you live, lilacs may bloom for just a short time in May.
Pick the flowers at their peak.
Flower essence enthusiasts often recommend making remedies from flowers that you’re attracted to.
Purple lilacs are one of my favorites.
DIY Lilac Flower Essence
I picked the lilacs at their peak.
Immediately I put a bunch of light purple lilac flowers in small glass bowl and filled it with spring water.
Running spring water would have been ideal.
I tried to use some water from a small stream near my house
But the stream wasn’t clear enough, and it had an algae-like smell.
So, instead, I used bottled spring water that comes from New Hampshire.
This is natural spring water. Not purified and bottle tap water.
I put the bowl filled with flowers on my back deck, so the sun could capture the essence of the petals.
Then, after four hours, I took a stick and removed the flowers.
I didn’t touch the essence with my hands.
How To Make Essence From Flowers
HERE ARE THE NEXT STEPS
- From the essence bowl, put two drops in another clean container that holds about one ounce of water.
- Then add an equal amount of brandy or vodka. Vegetable glycerine can also be used if you prefer a non-alcoholic formula. This is considered the “mother flower essence.” (You can also double or triple the recipe, as long as you keep proportions.)
- It’s important not to touch the flower water with your hands. But getting just two drops into a smaller bottle isn’t easy. So you probably want to use a glass dropper with a rubber top. However, you’ll need to use a separate glass dropper for every different essence you make. That’s because you don’t want the dropper to “contaminate” any other essence. Another option is to use a large stick to get at least a drop into the mother essence. Or a disposable plastic utensil.
- Then, you can add two drops of the mother essence to treatment bottles that contain half water and half vegetable glycerine. The glycerin acts as a preservative. If you can’t find glycerin locally, you can order it online.Or you can use brandy. For this step, use a glass dropper, a stick or a disposable plastic utensil.
- You can use a small glass jar as the treatment bottle. Just make sure to keep it away from light and extreme heat. However, it’s believed that flower essences are less susceptible to the elements, compared to regular homeopathic remedies.
- If you plan on making multiple essences, you may want to invest in little amber-colored bottles with droppers. Flower essences packaged in amber bottles also make great gifts. A mother essence could potentially make many, many treatment bottles.The above instructions were how to make lilac flower essence.But you can use the same method for any non-toxic blossom.
How To Make Flower Essence at Home
Why do I think my homemade lilac essence worked?
When I held it in my hands, a sudden sense of calm came over my body.
A mainstream medical practitioner might say this is the “placebo effect.”
But whatever it was it was nice.
As I mentioned earlier, flower essences are believed to work on an emotional level.
Dr. Bach was convinced that treating emotional angst could lead to physical healing.
He also believed negative emotions can make us sick.
That’s probably why so much of the rest of his life was devoted to healing with flowers.
FYI, as a young man Dr. Bach was diagnosed with “terminal” cancer.
So he threw himself into his work, hoping to leave a medical legacy.
Much to everyone’s surprise the cancer went away.
Dr. Bach believe that happened because he had a new purpose in life.
It’s believed this experience set him on a course of exploring how to heal emotions.
Flower Essence Therapy
It’s been written that Dr. Bach discovered which flowers could help relieve a particular emotional state by holding them in his hands.
There have been volumes written on which Bach flowers correlate with each particular emotional state.
For instance, an essence called Centaury is often recommended for people who’ve been bullied.
How To Use Flower Essences
Essences from a much wider variety of plants are now available.
They’re less studies and less has been written about them.
So it’s hard to say what effect they’d have.
Compared to regular homeopathic remedies, flower remedies are much more subtle.
However, I wouldn’t use them for an acute physical problem, such as a sore throat, the flu or a headache.
Instead, regular homeopathy is more appropriate.
How do you know which particular flowers to use?
I’ve seen others suggest using essences from non-toxic flowers you’re attracted to, such as what I did with lilac flowers.
Enjoy your DIY flower essences remedies.
However, don’t forget that they’re real homeopathic remedies.
So use only as much as you need and then put the remedy away until it’s needed again.
Disclaimer
These statements have not been approved by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Women who are pregnant or nursing shouldn’t use homeopathic remedies or flower essences unless directed to do so by a healthcare professional. Flower essences should not substitute for appropriate medical care.
For More Reading
Here is another study on Bach flower remedies for psychological pain. It didn’t find any difference between using flower essences and a placebo. But I’m of the mind that homeopathy and flower essences are as much art as it is science, and remedies do not always allow themselves to modern studies. Homeopathic prescribing is highly individualized, and the study would have to take that into account. Bach flower practitioners would try to choose remedies based upon a patient’s exact emotional state. This may mean combining four or more remedies into one treatment bottle. The authors of this study did conclude that Bach flowers appear to be safe.
